A Mortal of Strange Origins
by Alatar Maia
Summary: When a guy stumbles up to the border of Camp Half-Blood in the middle of the night, Percy thinks it's just another lost pizza guy. Or something like that. But then the guy starts asking to be let in - like he knows exactly where the camp is. And Mr. D...recognizes him? And he knows Hermes, well enough for the god to start hugging him? Something's up, that's for sure.


**Just an idea that came into my mind. Loosely based on my Gabriel backstory thing mixed in with Percy Jackson, so enjoy! Just a note: this completely disregards the entirety of Heroes of Olympus and assumes that nothing past The Last Olympian has or will ever actually happen.  
**

**Just a note.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or Percy Jackson.**

* * *

There was a stranger at camp.

This wasn't entirely surprising, since new demigods came in all the time, but this was different. For one, he was alone. For another, he was a mortal, but staring right at the camp like he could see it. The camp was buzzing with the news - he'd shown up on the borders of the camp, asking to be let in. No one had known what to do with the weird mortal who knew exactly where they were. Katie Gardner had gone to get Chiron after several minutes of pointless discussion, while the rain kept pouring down.

Chiron had shown up, just as puzzled as the rest of them, and eventually the clamor had drawn Mr. D out from the big house. He'd taken one look at the man and stopped dead in his tracks.

No one else knew who he was, other than the fact that Mr. D obviously knew him and he'd been immediately taken to the Big House. They'd all been ordered to their cabins - barely any of the demigods had obeyed, clustering into groups in the cabin area to swap rumors and wonder what could have made Mr. D so flustered and Chiron visibly nervous.

"He's just a mortal," Annabeth said, for what must have been the sixth time. "There's no way he should have been able to see past the camp's boundary-"

"But somehow, he _did." _Percy interrupted [for the sixth time]. "Annabeth, there's no use wondering about how's. If we figure out who he is, that'll probably lead to an explanation, right?"

Annabeth frowned, curling her hair around her finger in a nervous habit. "So who could he be?"

"A demigod?" Will Solace suggested. Several of the cabin leaders had drawn together into a group to discuss.

"That old?" Katie Gardner scoffed. "There's no way a demigod survived that long on their own, unless he's the son of a _really _minor god. Or a nature spirit, or _something."_

"Dryads don't have half-human kids," Grover interjected.

"_Whatever." _

"This is serious!" Annabeth snapped. "Did none of you see Mr. D's face? Whoever that guy is, he's _someone _important - more than just a demigod. There's no way any demigod could upset a god like that - even Percy didn't cause that much of a stir after he got claimed."

"She's got a point," muttered Will. "There's something up with him."

They were interrupted by a pointed throat-clearing; somehow, Chiron had managed to sneak up on them, even if he hadn't been trying to.

"Our director has a bit of a crisis on his hands," he said, raising one eyebrow as if he knew exactly what they had been talking about - and probably did. "I am sure you've realized that this is very serious."

They all nodded.

"Good." Chiron shook his head. "Percy, Annabeth - I think your presence might be warranted. Due to your expertise with - well, let's say situations that may require an on-the-go plan."

Annabeth looked like she was very dearly trying to stop herself from interrupting and asking a question.

"And I don't think I have to mention not to antagonize Mr. D anymore than he already has been." Chiron added. "In this situation-"

"Who _is _that guy?" Annabeth burst out, obviously not able to hold it back any longer. They all looked at Chiron expectantly.

Chiron sighed heavily. "I wish there was a simple answer to that. Unfortunately, things are not so, and I believe it would be unwise to keep anyone waiting. Let's go, shall we?"

* * *

The mysterious man was sitting at the pinochle table, across from Mr. D, who appeared to be doing his best to stare a hole through the former's head. Percy was a bit impressed that the man didn't even appear to notice. If he was being stared at like that by a god, he'd be at least a little nervous.

He was staring at the table, still soaking wet and without his jacket. He glanced up when Percy and Annabeth entered the room, but didn't react besides giving each of them what looked like a cursory once-over before looking down again, for all intents and appearances completely unaware that everyone else in the room was staring at him.

Rachel was there as well, but she only glanced at the two of them and grinned. There wasn't any time to speak or make introductions before Mr. D started speaking.

"I still completely object to you being here." Mr. D said, making the man look up at him again. "In fact, I'm still not sure why anyone let you through the boundaries."

"I did," Chiron reminded him.

"Ah, yes. _Why _was that, again?"

"Because he was bleeding," Chiron said patiently, making everyone's eyes shoot to the awkward way the man was holding his arm around his chest. "And I find it unsporting to let someone injured stay injured while we are able to do something about it. Regardless of their, ah, background."

Mr. D snorted. "Yes, of course."

"What exactly is his background?" Annabeth asked, with an urgent note in her voice. "Can't we get some information on what's going on here?"

"That's none of your business." The man finally spoke, giving Annabeth a hard look.

"I hardly think you should be dictating the terms," Mr. D scoffed. "You're on our territory now."

"Yeah, well, in case you hadn't noticed, those rules don't exactly apply anymore." The man snapped.

"And you had better be prepared to explain _this_, too!" Mr. D sounded more irritated than Percy had ever heard him, gesturing expansively to the man as a whole. "I'd thought the rumors were just a load of bunk because you'd pissed off the wrong god, but then you come here like this-"

"Would someone _please _explain what's going on?" Percy asked before he could realize he was interrupting an angry god.

The attention in the room swiveled to him - including Mr. D.

"Peter," Mr. D said icily, "I hardly think now is the time to make demands."

"It's a reasonable request," Chiron said, slightly patronizingly. "If they are going to be here for this-"

"I didn't ask for them to be."

"I did, and I must admit I'd like to hear his explanation too." Chiron directed his gaze to the man, whose gaze sharpened and glared back.

"I said it's none of your business." He repeated stubbornly.

Rachel had been staring at the man the whole time. "There's something odd about you," She said, drawing his attention.

His mouth curled up in something like snarl, as if Rachel had brought up a subject he didn't like. "Comes with my job description," he replied, voice dripping with venom. "I'm not exactly Joe Average."

That was about when Hermes practically kicked the door down in his haste to get into the room.

Percy, Annabeth, and Rachel jumped, Chiron nearly kicked over a shelf in surprise, Mr. D's face creased into an irritated frown, and the man shot to his feet.

"Loki," Hermes breathed, and in the next second he was across the room and hugging the man fiercely, which in of itself was enough to merit Percy's utter confusion. Annabeth looked just as bewildered, especially since the hug was being returned just as hard.

"Oh, joy," Mr. D muttered. "_You're _here. _Exactly _what we need."

Hermes, by now, had let go, and was completely ignoring Mr. D. "How did you get here?" He asked, his hands still gripping the man's - _Loki's _ \- shoulders. "I never told you where the camp was-"

"I figured it out on my own," Loki interrupted, voice now full of relief. "Before. I never had a reason to drop by before but I ended up here and I figured-" He cut himself off, looking embarrassed, and then grinned in a halfhearted sort of way. "Not like I really had a lot of other options."

Hermes stared for a moment, then turned around, his gaze pinning Percy in place. "You three. Out."

"What?"

"Annabeth-" Chiron was looking grave. "Now may not be the best time to argue."

Even Annabeth knew the idiocy in arguing with two gods at once, but she still looked reluctant. As Chiron pushed them firmly out the door he whispered "I'll explain later," before shutting it behind him. There was the distinct click of a lock.

The three of them stared at the closed door. "I can't hear anything," Annabeth said. "They must have done something to prevent eavesdropping."

"What'd Hermes call that guy?" Rachel asked, nose scrunching in confusion. "Low key?"

"Loki," Annabeth automatically corrected. "I'm sure I've heard the name somewhere before, but I can't remember where..." She looked determined to hunt down the elusive piece of information. "Meet me in ten minutes. Percy's cabin."

"What?" Percy exclaimed. "Why my cabin?"

"Because it's the emptiest!" Annabeth whirled around, already walking away. "Be there!"

* * *

They reconvened on the steps of Cabin Three, since Annabeth and Rachel couldn't go inside. Annabeth had Daedalus's laptop with her.

"Look!" She shoved it so quickly in Percy and Rachel's faces that neither of them could immediately read it - Percy had to lean back to get a clear view of the screen.

"Wikipedia?"

Annabeth huffed and put the computer on the ground, turning it back towards her. "He's a god, Percy," She said. "That man in there was a god, and he couldn't even get through the barrier."

"That doesn't make sense," Rachel said, frowning. "The barrier's not meant to keep out gods. I mean, we all could tell he was just some mortal."

"That's not all" Annabeth took a deep breath. "He's not a Greek god. He's Norse, apparently."

There was a long pause between the three of them.

"Norse?" Percy said disbelievingly. "But - I thought there were just the Greek gods!"

"Apparently not." Annabeth was frowning at the computer. "I admit, this makes things a bit confusing."

"So-" Rachel raised one hand. "If the _Greeks _are real, _and _the Norse are real, how many other gods are real too?"

"I don't know." Annabeth admitted. "There's no way to tell - unless more of them show up, but..." She looked conflicted. "I doubt that would be a good thing."

Rachel snorted. "Yeah, we've got enough trouble with just _these _gods and monsters and stuff."

"But Hermes _knew _him," Percy objected. "So obviously the gods know that these other gods exist." He couldn't say he was surprised that they had never said anything about it, but still..."How does that work out, if they keep all of this separate?"

"The gods rarely obey their own rules, Percy," Annabeth reminded him. "Unless there's some sort of life-threatening consequence...and even then, it's a possibility that _someone's _going to disobey."

"So what's the deal with this Loki, then?" Rachel said before Annabeth could go any further. "Why's he here? Don't the Norse have their own camp?"

"He was injured," Percy said slowly, "And he said he didn't have a lot of other options." He looked up at the other two. "Maybe he got in trouble with the other gods from his pantheon."

"It's very possible," Annabeth said. "According to what I can find, Loki isn't a very well-liked god - _especially _by the other Norse gods. He's done a lot to them."

"What kind of god is he?" Rachel questioned.

"A trickster god," Annabeth replied. "Chaos and mischief are his thing, apparently."

"That doesn't sound good." Percy glanced back up at the Big House. Chaos was the last thing they needed now, especially since Kronos' defeat had been only a few months ago. The summer session was drawing to a close, but people were still nervous.

"It may not be," Annabeth's voice drew him back out of his thoughts. "But we might not have to worry."

"When has that ever actually happened?" Rachel wondered aloud.

"Look-" Annabeth threw her a look. "He was injured when he came in, all right? But he was close by, he said, and we didn't notice anything - and neither did Mr. D, otherwise he would have mentioned something to Chiron, and neither of them looked at all bothered by anything earlier during dinner. Chiron didn't recognize him. And that wound wasn't healing on its own."

Percy felt a sinking feeling. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying..." Annabeth paused for a moment. "Something might have happened to his power."

They sat in silence after that announcement.

"Is that even possible?" Rachel asked in a hushed voice. "A god loosing their power?"

"I don't know. It shouldn't be." Annabeth lowered her eyes to the computer. "Maybe the Norse have something we don't."

* * *

Loki remained at camp for a fairly long time, and none of the campers received a very satisfactory explanation - Chiron no doubt knew that what Annabeth had found on 'Loki' had already circulated, but insisted on introducing him as mortal.

'Here to help run the camp'.

Yeah. Right.

No one believed it, but no one wanted to chance pissing off the god to find out the truth.

There was some weird stuff about him, though.

He ate like the rest of them, for one, and didn't seem to notice anything about the smoke from the offerings fire, even when a few campers tried sacrificing food to him, too. Absolutely no reaction.

He was crappy at fighting, too, which Percy and a few others discovered when they entered the sword-fighting arena and discovered that it was already in use.

_Clang._

Loki swore, clutching one hand in the other as his sword hit the ground.

"I know you can do better than _that." _Hermes was standing opposite him, a regular sword from the camp's armory in his hand. Percy guessed that he didn't want to risk using godly weapons and accidentally destroying the place.

Loki glared at him. "Using _my _sword. This piece of crap is useless."

"It's a sword. They're not that different. I found you one as similar as humanly possible, so pick it up." Hermes sounded patient, despite his words.

"I don't _need _your help," Loki seethed. "I didn't ask for you to do - whatever the hell you think you're doing-"

"I'm teaching you how to fight the human way." Hermes pointed the sword at Loki's face, making him lean back warily. "You can't get your blade now, so you've got to deal with what's accessible." It was at that point that he seemed to notice Percy and the group of mostly newbie campers. "Ah. Excuse us."

Loki wheeled around, eyes flickering over the group like he was trying to figure out how many of them were a threat. When he saw that Percy was the only one above 5'3", he snorted and turned around, walking out of the arena with his hands in his pockets and leaving his sword on the floor.

Hermes sighed, then picked it up and twisted it, making the sword vanish and then reappear in the racks of them that were on the edge of the arena. "Ignore him," Hermes told Percy with a halfhearted cheerfulness. "He's having a difficult time of things."

Percy wasn't sure how to reply. "Is he really Loki?" he asked eventually, and didn't need to look behind him to know that all the campers behind him were listening intently.

Hermes looked almost pained. "He's a very dear friend of mine," He replied eventually, "And I wish that coming here hadn't been his last resort."

* * *

There was another thing Percy noticed about Loki; human or not, he didn't act like he was one.

He constantly missed meals - most of the time he never showed up, and after too many in a row Hermes would always show up, looking exasperated, and sit next to Loki at the table like he was making sure Loki remembered to eat.

Gods didn't have to eat, but humans did.

He also had the oddest fighting style - when he bothered to try and practice, that was. He handled the sword like he'd grown used to having one in his hand, to such an extent that no other one would do. He forgot to guard himself, like he didn't care if he was injured, and seemed surprised by anything that _actually _hurt him, like he didn't think it was going to work.

He occasionally made odd gestures mid-practice - snapping, just moving his hand oddly, and then always froze for a millisecond, like he'd been expecting something to happen and was taken off-guard when it didn't.

He was a puzzle, and none of the half-bloods could figure him out.

* * *

When the summer session drew to a close, Loki was nowhere to be seen all through the celebrations.

Percy didn't really think he'd show up, but it was a bit mysterious.

It was also kind of creepy when he happened to turn around to talk to Annabeth and saw a dark figure standing at the edge of the beach, removed from the exuberant group of campers and cabin nine's fireworks celebration.

It was probably a bad idea, but Percy got up to talk to him.

"Where are you going?" Annabeth twisted around to look up at him as Percy got to his feet.

"I'll be back in a sec. Promise," he added when Annabeth only looked skeptical. "There's just something I want to do."

Annabeth didn't stop looking skeptical, but she shrugged and turned back to watch the fireworks.

Loki's eyes were on Percy, once the latter got close enough to make out the man's face, and he didn't make a move to say anything.

"You're not gonna come down to join us?" Percy asked.

"Not really my thing." Loki replied quietly. Percy was sure that he was lying, the way Loki's eyes were fixed on the fireworks, but he didn't say anything. "Wouldn't want to impose."

"No one'll mind if you come down," Percy offered.

A sardonic grin curled Loki's mouth. "Sure. I'm not even supposed to be here."

Percy decided to chance a question. "You're a god, aren't you?"

The smile vanished. Something dark and regretful flickered across Loki's face, gone as soon as it appeared. "No," he said, with a strange hesitance. "Hundred percent human."

That didn't make any sense, but maybe he was just named _after _the Norse god. It still didn't explain how Loki knew Hermes, though, which was still digging at him.

Something told him that it wouldn't be a good idea to ask about that.

"Alright," Percy said, "But there's marshmallows, so I'd think about for a little if i were you."

Loki looked startled, and then grinned in a more genuine way. "Now you're talking, kid."

* * *

Loki had never once participated in capture the flag - he was an assistant director for the camp, after all, and neither Chiron nor Mr. D every participated - so it was a bit of a surprise to come across him in the middle of the woods during a game a few months later.

Percy stopped, surprised. He'd decided to stay year-long for once, see how he liked it, but he hadn't been expecting another run-in with Loki.

"Yo." Loki raised one hand in greeting, wearing a grin that was more like a smirk. He had a sword in his hand, and nothing else.

"You're a little under prepared for capture the flag," Percy remarked, adjusting his grip on his shield. It wasn't nearly as heavy as it had been the first time he'd played this game.

"Please," Loki scoffed. "I'll skip the helmets and ridiculous amounts of armor, thanks."

"You're going to be in danger."

"When am I not?" Loki glanced around himself. "Heard these woods were full of monsters."

Percy decided not to waste time trying to bang the fact that capture the flag could be genuinely dangerous through Loki's head. "Whose team are you on?"

"I never pick a side in these things." Loki grinned wider. "Whose side are you on?"

"Athena."

"Your girlfriend's team, right?"

Percy didn't ask how Loki knew who Annabeth was - obviously, he'd know most of the campers. "So you're just hanging around for no reason?"

Loki shrugged, head tilting, still grinning madly. "Maybe I felt like picking a fight. Being in danger's supposed to up your survival instinct, right? Give you a feel for things when you couldn't get it before."

"Are you serious?" Was this guy crazy? "You're playing capture the flag in the hopes that someone will attack you and you'll magically figure out how to use that sword?"

"Hey-" Loki swung his sword up, using it to point at Percy. "I've heard crazier stories about you, kiddo. Don't act like it's such a bad idea. Didn't you blow up Mount Saint Helen?"

"That was an accident," Percy answered, "And I wasn't _looking _to blow anything up, period."

Loki laughed. "Impressive. I thought that one was the lie. That centaur's really good at two truths and a lie, y'know?"

Percy didn't know that. He also didn't think this was really the time for this conversation, and he'd wasted enough time already. "I've gotta run," he said, stepping over the creek. "The flag isn't going to capture itself."

"Sure." There was something different in Loki's grin as he watched Percy go. "Knock yourself out."

* * *

The flag, when Percy carried it across the stream, didn't change from Ares red to Athena silver.

"What?" Percy skidded to a halt, staring up at the flag. The outraged yells and the cheering of the Athena team gave way to confused conversation and a couple accusing shouts.

"It's not the real flag?" Annabeth appeared at his side suddenly, stuffing her invisibility cap into her pocket. "Where's the real one?"

"This is some Athena plot!" Clarisse accused, stomping up to them.

"This wasn't my idea," Annabeth shot back. "I don't know who did it-"

"Well, that's easy enough to answer."

Percy didn't know where Loki had come from, but then he realized that it was the same place he'd met him earlier. "You saw who took the flag?" He asked, stepping closer to where Loki was leaning against the tree behind him.

"Nah." Loki was still grinning, like he was on the verge of laughter. He reached out to either side, made a gesture like he was wiping something off of an invisible surface, and raised his hands.

He was holding both flags.

The staffs the flags waved from were covered in etchings of tiny sigils, but Percy's jaw had dropped and he was almost too surprised to process that. Loki tossed the flags up, switching hands, and as each one crossed the creek it obligingly changed to the other team's colors.

"I told you," Loki said, laughter in his voice and planting both flags back into the ground while addressing the crowd of completely silent demigods, "I don't pick a side."

* * *

The winter solstice came as if there was barely a day between it and the official end of summer [according to the calendar, anyway] and Percy was [for the first time] accompanying the group who were going on the annual trip to Mount Olympus.

Loki was with them.

"Why's he coming?"

Chiron looked placid, but his hands were drumming on the armrest of his wheelchair agitatedly. "He's received an official summons," He told Percy, making everyone else abruptly stop talking and look at Loki. "Honestly, I'm surprised the gods haven't done anything before. Hermes must have been keeping his presence here quiet."

Loki looked sullen, huddled into his jacket like the first time Percy had seen him, but there was an undercurrent of nervousness.

He was scared, and putting on a show.

The drive to the Empire State building seemed endless, and all the demigods kept casting looks at Loki, wondering what the gods would do and why they wanted him there so badly in the first place.

Was he really another pantheon's god?

Or was he just a mortal who had gotten into some serious trouble?

Olympus was exactly as Percy remembered it. There were still some destroyed buildings and rubble scattered over lawns, and there was the sound of construction in the distance, but it was surprisingly immaculate.

The group attracted a lot of stares and 'discreet' whispers, and Percy wondered about it until he realized that they were staring at Loki, who was steadfastly pretending that he didn't notice anything and staring straight ahead.

The council room, when they entered it, was full of chatter that immediately hushed.

The twelve Olympians were already there - plus Hades, who was looking remarkably smug on his new throne. They had somehow managed to squeeze it in between Zeus and Poseidon, and Hestia was sitting at the end of one side, so there were actually fourteen gods awaiting them.

Hermes was there as well, and his eyes were fixed on Loki.

"Well." Zeus said. "So it is you."

"Are there any other me's wandering around that I should know about?" Loki seemed to have recovered some of his brash attitude, striding forward so that he stood in front of the hearth fire, which was placed in the exact center of the room.

"Hermes," Zeus rumbled, "You had better have a very good reason for not telling us about this being's presence."

"In my defense," Dionysus said quickly, "I had no idea that you didn't know."

Zeus waved him down impatiently. "Well?"

Hermes looked nervous as well, and took a deep breath before speaking. "I knew you'd dislike his presence at Camp Half-Blood," he said carefully, "And I knew that you would discover him there eventually-"

"So you prolonged the time it would take us?" Zeus said dangerously. "On purpose?"

"He intended no harm," Hermes replied immediately.

"Do you know that for sure?" Athena asked.

"How could he do harm?" Hermes gestured impatiently at Loki. "He's _human, _Athena, and he's still adjusting."

"I don't believe it," Hephaestus said, peering at Loki. "How could he be human? Are you sure this is even really Loki?"

"Well, who knows where the _real _Loki is," Aphrodite said carelessly.

"I am the real Loki, as a matter of fact," Loki replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "Not that you're gonna believe me, but I might as well put it out there."

Percy had absolutely no idea what was going on - by the look of it, nether did Chiron, who was impatiently shushing demigods every time they tried to ask him something and listening with rapt attention.

"Say we do believe you," Poseidon said dubiously. "Why should we trust you at Camp Half-Blood? We heard what happened at the Elysian, and who you truly are. Everyone has heard by now."

Hades sputtered. "I heard nothing about this!" He said, sounding scandalized. "Did you think it wasn't important to inform me what was going on up here?"

Zeus looked slightly uncomfortable. "I must have forgotten," He muttered, and then raised his voice. "Regardless-"

"_Not _regardless," Hades snapped. "What happened at the Elysian, and who is this Loki?"

There was a pause in which all the gods looked at each other, none of them willing to volunteer to tell what happened.

"Hermes," Zeus said, "You were there, were you not?"

Hermes looked irritated. "_Mercury _was," he said stiffly. Next to Percy, Annabeth stifled a gasp, as if she'd just realized something.

"But you know what happened," Hephaestus said, nudging Hermes's arm. "Come on, tell us. It's not like anyone else was there."

Hermes gave a long-suffering sigh. "I don't know why Mercury attended," He said after a moment's pause, and Percy noticed that all the other gods leaned in a bit to catch everything. "It was a meeting for gods - the Norse organized it."

"For what?" Aphrodite asked.

"Because of the Apocalypse scare last year," Hermes said frankly, ignoring or [more likely] not noticing the demigods exchanging looks of shock and utter bewilderment. They weren't talking about Kronos, that was for sure.

"And Loki arrived?"

"Yes. Though I don't believe he was invited." Hermes paused again. "The two who had orchestrated it - Baldur and Kali - they had managed to trap the two Winchesters."

"The vessels," Poseidon murmured, nodding in understanding.

"They thought we could use them as some sort of bargaining tool - killing them wasn't an option-" Here Hermes looked almost regretful- "Since the angels would just bring them back again."

Hold up.

"Angels?" Annabeth clapped her hands over her mouth when she realized she'd spoken aloud. "I mean-"

"Yes," Said Athena, turning her head to glance at Annabeth briefly, "They do exist, however unfortunately. Please continue, Hermes."

"Mercury didn't want any part of it," Hermes said. "He liked the path of least resistance - not exactly the Roman way, but it's been a while, I suppose. In any case, Loki showed up in time to stop Kali from doing anything drastic to him."

Percy saw some of the gods wince sympathetically, and wondered who Kali was. Part of his brain was still stuck on 'angels'.

"What did Loki do?" Hades questioned. "I assume he didn't just sit there."

"Well-" Hermes glanced at Loki. "I don't know what he said when he talked to the Winchesters, but he allied with them - trying to help them escape." Several of the gods glanced incredulously at Loki when Hermes mentioned that, but Loki looked unperturbed - from what Percy could see of his back, at least.

"And - well." Hermes swallowed. "Kali confronted him, after she managed to catch him in the act. And she took - a blade. From him. An archangel's blade."

The collective attention of the room turned to Loki.

No way.

Loki spread his arms and bowed halfway, probably sarcastically. "Gabriel," He said dryly. "I'd say at your service, but I'm really not."

"So it is true, then." Zeus studied Loki - _Gabriel - _for several moments before looking at Hermes again. "And you knew?"

"With all respect," Hermes said tightly, "Kali stabbed him with that blade. I'd thought he was dead until he showed up at the camp."

Back to Gabriel.

"I guess this is where I pick up," He said, "Since Lucifer snapped your neck about five minutes later."

Hermes winced, one hand rising to his throat. He didn't say anything.

Gabriel sighed. "I dunno why you thought that blade would work," he began. "I mean, come on. You all _really _thought I was gonna let you grab my real blade? Please." He seemed to notice that none of the gods seemed amused. "Look. I faked my death. So what? Lucifer showed up..." he trailed off, and Percy noticed his shoulders tense under the jacket. "Well, I got some sense kicked into me and decided to tell him what I thought." He laughed, a breathless, cynical sound. "Family reunions ain't all they're cracked up to be."

"You faced your brother?" Hestia inquired, and Gabriel turned to face her. "What did he do?"

Gabriel's face went scarily blank, one hand lifting to his chest. "Well," he said softly, "Lucifer wasn't happy when I tried to tell him to stop throwing a tantrum." He tried for a smile, but it slipped off his face immediately. "Hermes wasn't totally wrong when he thought I was dead."

"Then who brought you back?"

The question came from Chiron.

"Forgive me for interrupting," He said politely to Zeus, before looking back at Gabriel. "But generally, to return from the dead, one needs someone on the outside."

Gabriel shrugged. "Far as I can tell, I was dead for half a year before waking up on the roadside. Only one with that much mojo is Dad."

"You're referring to your Father," Poseidon clarified.

"Sure."

"And you think he brought you back as a human?" Hephaestus looked skeptical. "Why would he do that?"

"Oh, y'know, the whole 'works in mysterious ways' bullcrap," Gabriel said nonchalantly, but there was an edge to his voice that hadn't been there before. "Probably because I've got to learn a lesson or some shit."

The gods appeared to be processing this information. Zeus still looked irritated. "Hermes," he said, "Do you mean to tell me that you knowingly sheltered an _angel?"_

Hermes, strangely enough, didn't look scared anymore. "I knew he was an angel when I met him," He replied, "So yes. For the same reason I said before."

There was a wave of muttering, and several of the gods cast distrustful looks at Hermes, but only Zeus out of the big three seemed bothered.

"What harm can he do, while human?" Poseidon asked. "I say let him stay."

Hades scoffed. "And bring the angels down upon us?"

"They think I'm dead," Gabriel said with an edge of bitterness. "And none of them found me last time I hid with the pagans, if they bothered to look, so you're probably good."

"The last time?" Athena said sharply. "You mean when you took on the guise of Loki to infiltrate the Norse?"

Gabriel actually laughed at that. "I'm not a spy," he said, an odd tone to the words. "I'm a runaway. My family sucks. I didn't feel like sticking around any longer, so-" He shrugged. "I left. Found a new place to chill."

The gods considered him carefully, as Gabriel stared back in an almost challenging way. "Well?" He asked. "Am I legal?"

* * *

They'd let Gabriel stay.

It had taken nearly two hours for them to decide, but Zeus had eventually relented - extremely reluctantly, but it gave way to everyone else agreeing. Most of them didn't seem to care one way or another, but Hermes had caught up with them on their way out and pulled Gabriel to side, saying that they would meet the group back at camp.

The drive back was full of chatter.

"Angels are a thing?" Annabeth demanded of Chiron.

"You told me there wasn't such thing as God," Percy said immediately afterward. "Like, the first time we met."

"I said that we wouldn't deal with the metaphysical," Chiron said patiently. "I have been aware that there are such thing as angels, but if God _does _exist, none have seen him save them. You had enough on your plate at the time."

"So this Loki guy," Will Solace said, "Is an angel - an archangel, whatever that means - who got tired of being an angel and pretended to be a pagan god, then died and got brought back as a human?"

"That does seem to be the gist of it." Chiron said, a touch of exasperation coloring his tone. "At least now I understand why Mr. D was so against allowing him to stay at camp half-blood - he must have known that we were hosting a former angel."

"What is an archangel?" Annabeth asked, but Chiron shook his head.

"I'm afraid I don't know. The angels and their hierarchies were never known to anyone save themselves, for the most part. For Hermes to have known Gabriel before he left the other angels...well, I'm surprised that Gabriel spent enough time on Earth for them to meet."

"So what happens now?" The silence that dragged on after Will's question made then all nervous.

"I don't know that, either." Chiron admitted. "We must simply do what we can. Not that much will be different."

* * *

Hermes and Gabriel were waiting for the group inside the Big House, when they got back.

They were playing Go Fish.

Percy wished he could say it was the weirdest thing he'd ever seen.

"Hermes," Chiron said politely. "May I ask why-"

"Mr. D's been replaced," Hermes said before Chiron could finish. "Zeus probably got tired of him whining and decided I'd be a viable replacement."

"Hey," Gabriel said, "I've heard of some of the stuff Zeus's come up with. You're lucky."

Hermes scoffed. _"You're_ the one who got off lucky. I'm surprised he didn't smite you for what happened back in the twelfth century."

"Maybe he forgot."

"Hera wouldn't have."

Gabriel grimaced. "Point. Remind me not to go back to Olympus anytime soon."

Percy finally found his voice. "You're our new director?"

"Yes, even though I'm apparently still expected to deliver everyone's messages." Hermes made a face. "Talk about high expectations."

"I see." Chiron was keeping whatever he was feeling under tight wraps. "Perhaps calling a cabin leader meeting would be in order, to inform everyone about the change in plans?"

Hermes looked surprised. "You do that?" he asked. "I guess it would be a good idea."

"Your kids are cool, by the way," Gabriel said aburptly. "The twins."

"Connor and Travis?" Hermes laughed. "Of course you'd like them." He glanced back at Chiron. "You can let them know there's gonna be a meeting, right?"

Chiron nodded. "Of course."

* * *

News of Gabriel had spread through the entirety of the camp via word of mouth by the time Percy and Annabeth were sent out to get the other cabin leaders together, and they were asked no less than twenty times if it was really true.

Angels were a bit hard to swallow, though, especially angels pretending to be gods who had been turned into humans.

It was a bit ridiculous, Percy thought, but so was a Titan nearly destroying Manhattan, and _that _had nearly happened.

Well, Manhattan and the rest of the world. But Manhattan would have gone first.

"So." Hermes was sitting at the head of the table, Gabriel nowhere in sight. "We've had a regime change."

No one reacted, other than glancing at their neighbors and wondering if they were supposed to laugh. Hermes looked a bit crestfallen, but moved on. "I'm going to admit that I know basically none of you - well, I know _you-" _He gestured vaguely, probably pointing at Connor and Travis- "A few of you. I still have to take deliveries, so Chiron will be in charge, mostly."

"What about Gabriel?" Connor asked, making the atmosphere tense abruptly.

"What about him?" Hermes questioned. "He's been staying here for a few months, it's no different. You just know what we knew - or I assume you do."

* * *

_"In any case, don't worry about Gabriel. He's not that much of a bother. He'll just hang around like he has been."_

Hermes had been so, so wrong.

Percy leaned back against his bed [he was sitting on the floor] and tried to mentally recap what had happened. Maybe that would help it make more sense.

Something had happened with the angels again, that much he was sure of. It had taken ages of odd behavior from Hermes and Gabriel for the camp counselors to be told, but they were also told that they weren't to interfere - angel business wasn't their business, and if they started messing with it the angels would start messing with them back, which would be a lot, lot worse.

Good so far.

Then Gabriel had left. No one knew with who, except that they were called the Winchesters, were most definitely not the same Winchesters on the FBI most wanted list [apparently Hermes knew all the names on that, for some reason] and drove a long black car.

Their friend in the trench coat, who was apparently also an angel, had taken days to convince Gabriel to go with the Winchesters before he'd finally agreed. Percy assumed that since they were both angels, they were brothers, but they didn't act particularly brotherly.

Maybe they hadn't seen a lot of each other. Gabriel had faked his death, after all.

Percy had also overheard a conversation, right before Gabriel left, between him and Hermes.

_"You'll come back?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Promise me, Gabriel."_

_"I promise I'll come back. The Winchesters'll give me a ride. I'll come back with them, alright? I swear."_

_"...Good luck with all this."_

_"Thanks." Sigh. "I'm probably going to need it."_

Well, Percy wasn't sure what had happened, but it had been a month and a half.

And Gabriel had not come back.

Everyone knew Hermes was getting nervous, but he couldn't leave the camp except on official god business - and so soon after the punishment had been given out, Zeus was sure to be keeping a close eye on him. His hands were tied, and there was an unspoken expectation of everyone who left on a quest to keep an eye out for the renegade angel and his new allies.

But still, no sign of him.

There was only one thing that had happened - something that had made all of them nervous. A wash of power, some event going down that had a ripple effect over the whole country - whatever it was, they had all felt it. Especially Hermes.

The Olympians had called an emergency session, which had only ended the other day. No one knew what had happened, or could guess.

But it was _something _bad, and Percy got the feeling that even the gods didn't know what it was.

* * *

The Winchesters showed up a week later, while Percy was on guard duty.

Hermes was in front of them in a second, practically vibrating with tension. "Did you fix it?" He demanded.

The man looked taken aback, but nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Raphael's been taken care of. Gabriel, uh - he used a spell."

"Where is he?"

Percy could see the man's expression soften. Evidently, Hermes could, too. "Where's Gabriel?" He repeated dangerously.

"I'm sorry," The man said, and Percy could see his brother walking towards the hill with something wrapped in a white sheet in his arms.

When he looked back, Hermes was gone.

* * *

Chiron found him in the Big House, an untouched glass of something alcoholic and strong in front of him.

"We put him upstairs," Chiron said gently, but Hermes still flinched. "The Winchesters are still here. The younger one is very apologetic, but they couldn't have done much."

"How do you know?" Hermes snapped, and Percy started subtly backing away. He didn't want to be caught eavesdropping, especially not by a god in a mood like that.

"Because he killed himself." That made Percy freeze. What? "He sacrificed himself to make the spell work. It took away all of Raphael's powers. She's quite distraught over his death as well, according to them."

"It's her fault." Percy had never heard Hermes sound so angry before. "She's the one who caused all of this."

"That may be so." Chiron sounded sad as well. "But it was Gabriel's decision."

There was a long moment of silence.

"He hated being human," Hermes said, and Percy was taken aback by the sudden transition to what sounded like tearfulness. "He couldn't stand it. I should have seen it before."

"You couldn't have predicted this."

"I made him promise to come back." Now Hermes was really starting to sound choked up. "I never made him say he'd come back alive."

Percy decided now was a good time to leave. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more.

* * *

_"Where is he?"  
_

Percy jumped at the sudden shout. Both Winchesters looked up sharply - the shout had come from upstairs.

Hermes dashed into a room at the same moment that a nymph did. Both of them were shouting. The Winchesters looked like they were trying to figure out which one was the enemy and were about to start shooting.

"There's something in the woods-"

"A body doesn't just disappear-"

"Everyone, please calm down!" Chiron poked his head through the nearest doorway. "Hermes, did you just say that Gabriel's body has vanished?"

Hermes looked furious. "If I find out you've got anything to do with this-" He began threateningly, turning to face the Winchesters.

"Never mind that," The nymph broke in impatiently, "There's someone in the woods-"

"Some_one?" _Chiron interrupted, sounding puzzled. "Not e demigod?"

"No!" The nymph threw up her hands. "He's just _lying _there! Not to mention that weird tree-"

"What weird tree?" The Winchesters asked at nearly the same time.

* * *

The weird tree, as it turned out, was in almost the exact center of the woods.

Most of them were more concerned with the guy sprawled on the roots, considering he'd been dead and inside the Big House about three minutes ago.

Hermes moved so fast he was a blur, and the moment he touched Gabriel the latter's eyes shot open, glowing white with an energy that was utterly foreign to Percy - it wasn't godly by any stretch.

"Hermes-" Gabriel's voice was muffled but, strangely, not at all hoarse. "I can't breathe."

"You don't need to." Hermes was hugging Gabriel again, just as tight as the night Gabriel had shown up at Camp Half-Blood for the first time. He swore in Greek. "_You're alright."_

"I should have expected this," One of the Winchesters muttered behind Percy. "Something always fuckin' happens. He hasn't died the last, what, four times we've seen him, why should this time be any different?"

Hermes finally let Gabriel up, the latter standing and rolling his shoulders in a peculiar motion. For a moment, Percy thought he could see the outline of what looked like enormous wings behind Gabriel, but the illusion was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"You're good, then?" The taller Winchester asked, giving Gabriel an appraising look.

Gabriel grinned at him, the definition of a shit-eating grin. "I know. I look good for a guy who's been dead twice." He tilted his head, expression becoming thoughtful. "Y'know, I think I owe Castiel a visit, what about you?"

One more grin, and he was gone.

Percy had the feeling that they hadn't seen the last of the angel.

* * *

**...Well? What do you think? Please read and review, I love to hear your reactions to my stories!**


End file.
